Finding the Past
by Demon Bishie
Summary: Takashi, Kagome's son, never knew who or what his father was. But that changed one night...
1. One More Surprise

Takashi inhaled deeply as the bright sun burned through his eyelids. Slowly raising his body, he threw up his arms and stretched. He stared out his bedroom window, looking at the giant tree that proudly stood within the shrine he lived in. Rubbing his eyes as he turned to get out of bed, something buzzed in his mind.  
"...-Oh yeah, today's my birthday!"  
Takashi quickly grabbed an outfit and went into his bathroom. When he reappeared, he was donned in a pair of jeans and a black shirt. He grabbed his favorite red jacket and raced downstairs, sliding down the rail.  
"Whoa! Be careful!"  
"-Look out!"  
Takashi crashed down from the rail, landing on top of his uncle Souta. Oh crud, he was in trouble now. Souta lifted his head and gave a smug look at Takashi, who gave an embarrassed grin.  
"Uh, hey Uncle Souta-what's up?"  
"Well, I was a moment ago...but then a crazy maverick teenager, whose birthday is today, just so happened to land on me..."  
Takashi laughed at his uncle's joke, then quickly got up from on top of him and offered him his hand.  
"I'm sorry; I just felt a little cheerful since it was my birthday and I felt like having a slide."  
"...Well, you're lucky I didn't have your present with me when you landed..."  
Takashi smiled devilishly.  
"Did I just get a possible hint? ...So it's not very durable..."  
Souta laughed.  
"Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't...; you won't have to wait long to find out!"  
"Where's Mom, anyway?"  
"She's in the kitchen; I think she's making the cake for tonight..."  
Takashi whipped around and raced to the kitchen. He skidded to a halt in front of his mother, who was by the stove mixing ingredients in a bowl, and gave her a hug from behind; throwing his face into the same raven hair he had gotten from her.  
"Morning mom!"  
  
"Oh, hi dear...; happy birthday!"  
"Thank you; so what are you doing?"  
"Just making your cake."  
"I'm gonna grab some breakfast."  
Takashi walked over to the cupboard, searching for something that would satisfy his appetite. He finally found it, grabbing a cup of instant ramen. His mother chuckled hard, which caught his attention.  
"What's so funny, Mom?"  
"Nothing Takashi...just thinking of how much you remind me of somebody."  
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door.  
"I'll get it!" said Takashi.  
"Oh no! It might be your-"  
But before she could stop him, Takashi set down the ramen and raced to the door. He bent over to the mail slot and said, "Who is it?"  
"Delivery!"  
Takashi realized that this could be his gift.  
"Mom, you answer it!"  
His mother dallied over to the door, and shooed Takashi away. After a brief conversation with the delivery man to be polite, she closed the door with a small package under her arm. She went off to the kitchen, and opened it to reveal...  
A mummified Kappa's hand, obviously courtesy of her grandfather.  
"Oooooh, dear."  
"Is it here?!"  
Kagome's grandfather shuffled into the kitchen to see if his gift for Takashi had arrived.  
"Ah yes! The same gift I gave you on your fifteenth birthday! You do remember, right?"  
Kagome sighed.  
"Yes, I remember...and for some reason, I know I won't have to feed old Buyo tonight..." she said as she stared over at the geriatric cat lying in the corner of the kitchen.  
"Um, not to be rude..."  
Kagome and her grandfather turned to see Takashi with his hand over his eyes, standing in the doorway.  
"...But I would like to have my ramen some time today..."  
"Oh, don't worry about it Takashi! I'll cook it for you."  
"Alright; I'll be upstairs studying for my history exam next week."  
Souta popped his head in to make a witty retort.  
"Okay, but what will you be doing today?"  
"Verrrry funny Uncle Souta....-Hey, where's Grandma anyway?"  
"Sorry Takashi; she had to go visit your great aunt. She has a broken leg and there's nobody to take care of her."  
"Oh...alright."  
With that, Takashi spun around and raced back up the stairs, opened the door to his bedroom and leapt onto his bed, reaching over the side to pick up his history textbook, which had been cast aside after falling asleep the night before. He licked his index finger, and began to thumb through the pages to find the current chapter he needed to study.  
Rise of the Samurai: "Like a dark cloud blotting out the sun, a turbulent era of bloodshed and almost incessant warfare followed the golden Heian Age. Within the Imperial Court, gentile artistry and refinement were a continuing ideal, but all around brutal violence flourished and at times shattered the serenity of the court itself..."  
Hmm...I wish we could learn a couple of legends from this time period. It looks like they were really creative...After all, from what I hear, most people thought there were demons around every corner!  
Takashi laughed out loud at this thought. He may have thought they were interesting, but he certainly didn't believe they existed. It was impossible; if demons were really such powerful, dominant creatures, where were they today? Hiding away waiting for the opportune moment to strike and create Armageddon? Ha!  
  
Takashi continued to study late into the day. By lunch, his mind was swimming with pictures of warlords and samurai fighting to the death on blood-stained battlefields. After he was positive that he had mastered everything for the test, he went outside to get some fresh air.  
"Hi Great-Grandpa!" he called as he spotted his grandfather sweeping outside.  
"Hello there, Takashi! Enjoying your birthday I hope?"  
"Very much, thank you Grandpa," he replied as he walked up to him.  
"I bet you can't wait for your gifts; wait until you see what I got you!"  
"I'm sure it will be as unique as ever, Grandpa."  
Takashi waved goodbye to his grandfather and let him continue to sweep. He approached the large tree that grew within the shrine. He sat under the shade of its enormous branches, breathing in deeply as a cool breeze floated past.  
So...I'm fifteen. Mom always told me that fifteen was the best year of her life. I think she said she met my father when she was that age...I wonder how old he was?  
"Takashi! Your grandmother left your present! Come and open it!"  
"Alright, I'm coming Mother!"  
Takashi ran inside, his mother handing him a small box. He gently opened it, revealing a small bicycle bell.  
"Great! I've needed a new one! My old one's gotten rusty. Thanks mom; I'll have to thank Grandma on the phone later. I'm going to go attach it."  
Takashi walked outside and grabbed his bike, pulling out a screwdriver he had grabbed beforehand and releasing the old bell. He packed it inside his pocket, and began to screw in the new one. When he finished, he gave the bell a test-ring.  
"That sounds great; I think I'll go for a ride. -Grandpa? Tell mom I went off on my bike for a while, okay?"  
"Certainly Takashi; have a good time!" His grandfather waved to him as he peddled down from the shrine and onto the street.  
  
When it started to become dark outside, Takashi rode back home and parked his bike where it had been. He walked into the house, smelling the delicious aroma pouring out from the dining room.  
"Hey, I think its oden..."  
He walked into the dining room, -which was decorated for the occasion- and saw tonight's dinner laid out on the table  
"Hehe! Oden! I knew it! The nose knows!"  
"Takashi, you're home!"  
Takashi's mother walked in behind him and hugged him.  
"I hope you're hungry."  
"Of course Mom; I haven't had anything to eat since this morning!"  
Everybody entered the room, sitting down to begin the meal.  
"Now before we eat, let's give Takashi his gifts."  
Takashi's mother, uncle, and great-grandfather all pulled out their presents from under the table, setting them in front of Takashi.  
"Thanks everybody. -Okay, this one is from...Uncle Souta!"  
Souta smiled as Takashi opened the box. He chuckled at Takashi's expression of curiosity as he pulled out the gift.  
"It's a book on ancient myths; cool! Thank you Uncle Souta!"  
Souta leaned over to whisper to his sister.  
"You're not going to believe what's mentioned in there..."  
Kagome's eyes shot open, and she whispered harshly back. Takashi couldn't make out what she was saying, but he heard something about "bloodline" and "quarts".  
"Now for my present!" bellowed his grandfather.  
Takashi grabbed the package, and began to unwrap it.  
Well, I better go grab Buyo, thought Kagome.  
"What is it?" Takashi asked as he picked up the hand  
"It's a mummified Kappa's hand! It brings good luck!" His grandfather was beaming with pride.  
"Wow! This is awesome! I think I'll put it on my bookshelf!"  
Kagome looked stunned. Guess I'm gonna have to feed that cat tonight after all...  
"I guess this one is from Mom..."  
Takashi opened the last present, to reveal a necklace made with purple and white beads. He smiled as he rolled the beads in his fingers.  
"I made it myself. Your father used to have one like it; only it had a slightly different quality..."  
Kagome chuckled to herself.  
"It's beautiful, Mom; you did a wonderful job..."  
Takashi pulled the necklace on over his head, and stared down at how it laid over his chest.  
"Happy birthday sweetheart; I love you."  
Kagome walked over and kissed her son on the cheek.  
"I love you too Mom."  
"Well, let's not dawdle! I'm starving!"  
"Yeah, me too Uncle Souta; let's eat!"  
The family dug in to their dinner, grateful for satisfaction to their hunger. Takashi raised his food to his mouth, but stopped as he suddenly felt cold. His skin felt like ice; and the room seemed to be getting dark. It was difficult to breathe...  
Kagome stared in fear as her son froze with a look of agony on his face. She was terrified as she heard him breathe in raspy, short, struggled breaths.  
"Takashi?!"  
Suddenly, she let out a gasp when she thought his eyes flashed gold before he blinked. She screamed when they rolled back as he let out a grunt and fell on the table, violently shuddering. 


	2. Deadly Dreams

Takashi woke up to find himself in his bed, his hand clenched in his mother's grasp as she lay by his bedside. He felt so bad he was afraid to open his eyes. He let out a groan as he began to feel the throbbing aches in his chest and the freezing cold all over again. A terrible cough forced its way out from the hollow of his lungs. He could only compare this agony he felt to something trying to rearrange his insides.  
He struggled with all his strength to speak to his mother.  
"M-Mom...My whole body huuurrtss..." Another abominable cough escaped from his throat. He could barely hear his mother sigh with relief; his hearing seemed muffled. He felt her place her free hand onto his head and brush it against his sweaty bangs.  
"Takashi? Are you okay? Please say you're okay..."  
"I don't know Mom...I can barely breathe..."  
His mother gasped as he lurched forward, his chest heaving as he winced and opened his eyes. To her terror, as she had feared at the dinner table, they glowed a shimmering gold in the darkness of his bedroom. But just as suddenly, he blinked and they returned back to their dark hazel brown. He threw himself back onto his pillows, wheezing as he attempted to rub off whatever caused the terrible pain in his eyes. Kagome stared at her son, lying there as he writhed in pain. His entire body was drenched in sweat; his fingernails were oozing with puss; every muscle visible was twitching and convulsing. She lay her head on his chest and began to sob.  
"Please...just let this be a really bad cold..."  
"...Kagome-"  
She turned around to see her grandfather standing in the doorway.  
"...I think you should just leave him alone for a while...he needs to rest for what he's going through right now."  
She sniffled and nodded, kissing her son on the forehead and walking out the door.  
Kagome opened up the door to his bedroom slightly to peek in at her son, who was finally resting, though wheezing and heavily sweating.  
"Please don't be dying..."  
Takashi could barely hear conversation by his door through is stifled hearing. His mother sounded like she was upset...  
Of course she's upset; I'm practically dying! Oh well...I guess I better at least try to get some more sleep...maybe it'll help me get better, or maybe I'll die in my sleep; either way, I'll be out of my misery.  
Takashi turned over and did his best to find sleep. After several hours, when slumber finally claimed him, he suddenly experienced violent nightmares...  
  
***  
A dark creature stood before him...its entire body was blanketed with millions of tiny spiders. He stood there, shaking in fear as the spiders crawled off to reveal a glowing jewel, floating in mid-air. He nearly cried out as he saw that the spiders were approaching him...  
  
***  
"...Takashiiii..."  
Takashi's eyes snapped open, and without hesitation he slowly crawled out from his bed. His eyes had turned a ghostly pale-blue, and his face held no expression. His strength had apparently returned, and he walked out of his bedroom, down the stairs and out the door...  
  
***  
"Somebody help me!!!" Takashi called out in his nightmare. The spiders crawled forward, scuttling along the ground and lunging towards him. As they crawled up his legs and onto his bare chest, they suddenly began to melt into his skin. He screamed as he watched them sink into his flesh, their legs wiggling out from the surface as they buried themselves deeper.  
  
***  
In the light of the moon, a silver string shimmered, hanging off of Takashi's neck. It seemed to pull him in the direction of an old hut, as if he were a puppet. The wind blew wildly around him as he walked closer and closer to the hut. When he entered and closed the door behind him, he walked down the stairs and stared blankly down into the pits of the dry well sitting within.  
  
***  
As the spiders all vanished into his skin, Takashi felt relieved, but still disturbed from the shocking experience. Suddenly, the glowing jewel hovered towards him, and like the spiders, molded itself into his skin, near his heart. He suddenly felt numb, and then a rush of heat flowed through him. He fell to the ground, panting for breath, but gasped as he saw a puddle on the ground, but instead of his reflection, he saw a monstrous creature with similar features as he, but with glowing red eyes and enormous fangs staring back at him, grinning. He screamed, and the monster simply laughed at him from within the reflection.  
  
***  
Takashi sat on the well and threw his legs over, staring down into the darkness of the well.  
"Come to me..."  
Takashi nodded to the unknown voice, and pushed himself off the side.  
Suddenly, the string broke, and Takashi blinked in shock, his eyes returning to their dark brown color once more, and violently shook his head as he awoke from his stupor. But as he left one dream, he believed he had entered another.  
"What's going on?!"  
Takashi was floating aimlessly in an endless world of vivid light. He lurched over as he suddenly felt his heart squeeze, and he looked down to see a pink light glowing from his chest. He was so afraid he covered his eyes, afraid to see where he would end up next  
"I'm just dreaming...I'm severely hallucinating because I'm ill...I...-huh?"  
He lowered his hands from his eyes. Takashi just realized that he no longer felt the terrible throbbing pains and the freezing cold he had felt before he had fallen asleep. His strength and stamina had returned, and he felt perfectly healthy.  
Suddenly, the shining lights vanished, only to reveal his location as what looked like a ditch with wooden walls. He stared up from this whole to see the clear night sky, a brilliant crescent moon illuminating the sky. He found a vine connecting from bottom to top of this hole, and struggled to scale the wall by climbing up with it. When he reached the top, he felt extremely nervous as he found himself in the middle of a clearing in what looked like a giant, lush forest.  
"Where am I?"  
"Half-breed spawn!!!"  
"Huh? -AH!"  
Takashi turned around to see a giant snake hovering over him, larger than he ever thought possible for a snake...Heck, larger than he thought possible for an elephant!  
"Die, loathsome vermin!!!"  
The snake could talk?!?! The snake lunged forward at Takashi, opening its mouth wide to reveal terrible fangs. Takashi dodged just in time, and luckily the snake's teeth were lodged deep into the ground for a few moments, allowing him a head start for escape. He ran as fast as he could, maneuvering around the large trees as he searched for some way out.  
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"  
But suddenly, Takashi tripped over a root, and fell over wincing in pain as he saw his bloody ankle. When he looked back up again, there was the snake, staring him dead in the eyes with its wicked, cold, sharp stare.  
"Another little pest to be devoured by a snake! DIE!"  
"KITSUNE-BI!!!"  
Takashi felt both relief and fear as he saw a huge fireball fly towards them, hitting the snake in the back of its head. The snake whirled back and lashed its tail, hitting Takashi in the head and knocking him out.  
The snake turned around, to find a tall young man with red hair and aqua green eyes standing in the trees. His fingers had strong, sharp claws; a long, wispy, furry tail swayed gently back and forth from behind him. The snake hissed at the attacker and bared his fangs, ready to strike. The young man looked down with grave stare.  
"Leave the boy alone and leave here at once!"  
"I know you...you're that fox pup from the village nearby! How dare you interrupt my meal?"  
"I heard somebody call for help...that's a good enough excuse for me...-Oh, and by the way; I'm not a pup."  
"He is nothing more than a worthless half-breed! Why bother to help him?!"  
The fox chuckled.  
"Not all half-breeds are as weak as you think; this very forest is named after one!"  
"It was given that name only by the pathetic humans who lived in fear of him. No self-respecting demon would name so much as a rock after him..."  
"Let's stop chattering; leave here or die."  
The snake demon shook the earth beneath him with the force of his laugh.  
"Please, don't make such ridiculous comments; a fox demon is one of the weakest demons in existence! They rely on illusions and nothing more."  
"Heh; well, that may be true for MOST fox demons..."  
The fox leaped into the air, casting his silhouette in the moonlight.  
"But I'm the exception!"  
Raising his claws in the air, he lunged down toward the snake. As he plummeted towards the earth, his claws glowed with the same blue flames he had used to attack the snake demon before.  
Takashi reawakened at the sound of a terrible, garbled scream, still dizzy from the blow to his head. His vision was blurry, but he could see something falling to the ground and throwing his body up into the air for a few moments before landing back down on the soft ground. All he saw before passing out again was the vague shadowed image of somebody approaching him and kneeling down beside him.  
"Ugghhn..."  
The unknown rescuer lifted Takashi up over his shoulder, and casually walked through the forest to whatever was their destination. 


	3. Strange New World

Takashi lay in his soft bed, on the very edge of his dreams; he had been so terrified last night...such vivid nightmares.  
He turned slightly in his bed, only to realize that his bedding was to firm; and his blanket felt different as well. He opened his eyes to gaze upon what was not his ceiling, and felt a flood of fear rush through him. He bolted up, staring at his new surroundings.  
In the corner of the room, a small fire had been extinguished to ash and embers. Beside it lay a bowl of water and a cloth. He stared down at his bed, and found it was on the floor. The room was bare, save a few jars and some firewood, and the floor was cold and wooden.  
He gasped and whipped around in his bed at the sound of something rustling, to find a young man pushing a curtain door open.  
"Ah, so you're finally awake; you've been unconscious for nearly half a day."  
"Where am-!"  
Takashi stopped in the middle of his sentence as he stared at the young man, who was what he considered to be freakish. His ears were small and pointed, and two sharp fangs stuck out of his mouth like buck teeth. As he stared downward, he saw his claws, his tail, and most puzzling, his feet.  
"Forget my first question!!! What are you?!?!"  
The unusual stranger stared at him as if he were confused.  
"Don't tell me you've never seen a demon before..."  
Takashi felt his heart jump up in his throat.  
"D-demon?!?!"  
"That's right, demon; fox demon, to be exact."  
Takashi leaped up from his bed, running around the room in search of anything he could use as a weapon. Finding nothing sharp, he decided to pick up an empty jar, threateningly holding it over his head to throw at the demon.  
"Don't come one step closer!"  
The fox demon rolled his eyes, and pulled out a small leaf from his pocket. Takashi looked confused, as the demon brought his palm to his lips. He blew the leave from his hand, which miraculously shot from his hand like a bullet and cracked the jar into little pieces. He walked casually towards Takashi, who backed himself into a corner in fear.  
"Relax, I'm a friendly demon; powerful, but friendly."  
Takashi was unsure, but as he stared into the demon's eyes, he felt a little relieved. The kind feeling and aqua green color that emanated from his eyes comforted him, and encouraged him to trust this..."demon".  
"My name is Shippo; you were unconscious at the time, but last night I saved you from that snake demon."  
"So I wasn't dreaming? Oh my god! I didn't think snakes could be that big!"  
"Demon snakes can...so, do I get to hear yours?"  
"Mine? My what?"  
Shippo cleared his throat.  
"...You're name?"  
"Oh! I'm so sorry. My name is Takashi."  
"Sooo, Takashi..."  
Shippo flopped down on the floor, encouraging Takashi to sit in front of him.  
"What are you doing in a place like this, huh?"  
Takashi felt his fear return in an instant, realizing he was unsure of how to get home.  
"I don't know...I was sick in bed, and next thing I knew, I was in that forest."  
Shippo looked confused again. He scratched his head and pondered.  
"I wonder how hard that snake hit you in the head."  
Takashi looked offended, even more so when Shippo chuckled.  
"I'm sorry; I just thought maybe you had gotten some case of amnesia or something..."  
"Um, Shippo? Why is this room so primitive?"  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Well, where's the electricity? And how come my bed is on the floor?"  
  
"...Well, where else would you expect it to be? Stuck to the wall?"  
"...No, above the floor...supported by the frame..."  
Shippo looked completely lost.  
"Well, as for electricity, the word sounds familiar, but I have no idea what you're talking about."  
"-Lord Shippo?"  
The two turned towards the door to see a young girl with inky black hair, and dressed priestess robes, standing in the doorway.  
"Yes, what is it Moriko?"  
"I am sorry to interrupt you, but Lord Miroku and Lady Sango wish to see you."  
"Thank you; you may leave."  
Moriko bowed and backed out of the doorway. Takashi was surprised.  
"...Lord...and Lady...?"  
"If you'll excuse me..."  
Shippo stood up and headed towards the door. He paused, and turned around to face Takashi.  
"You're perfectly welcome to follow and join us."  
"Uh...alright..."  
Takashi stood up and hastily followed Shippo outside. But as he left the small hut, he found himself standing in the middle of what looked like an ancient village from hundreds of years ago.  
"What on Earth?! Where are the cities?!"  
He felt himself shiver with confusion.  
"WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED TO MODERN CIVILIZATION?!"  
"Again with those weird words...honestly, you almost remind me of somebody I knew when I was a pup."  
Takashi quickly lost his will to speak, aimlessly following Shippo as he stared at the strange new world around him. Women were gathering water and washing their clothes in a stream; men were working hard in fields, growing crops...  
After several minutes, Takashi abruptly stopped as he bumped into Shippo.  
"Takashi, I would like you to meet my friends Sango and Miroku."  
Takashi walked around Shippo to see what looked like a monk, standing next to a young woman with long black hair holding a small cat in her arms. The monk bowed to him and walked forward, offering his hand.  
"My wife Sango and I are pleased to meet you."  
Takashi smiled and shyly took the monk's hand. Suddenly, the monk's expression changed, giving him the appearance as if he were perplexed by something.  
"Strange...you...have a very interesting aura now that I've come up close to you."  
Takashi looked behind Miroku to see a boy, who appeared to be only a few years younger than him, standing in the doorway of their home.  
"Hi, who are you?"  
The boy walked out and stood next to Sango.  
"This is our son Kohaku."  
Kohaku bowed and extended his hand as his father had. Takashi accepted it, briefly shook it and stepped back.  
"So what did you want to see me about?"  
Miroku cleared his throat and put a hand on Shippo's shoulder, whispering into his ear.  
"It's about the boy...Takashi...you said that the other night the snake demon called him a half-breed?"  
"...Yes..."  
Shippo looked at the monk, suspicious of his allusion. Miroku looked towards his son, and walked toward him.  
"Kohaku, would you be so kind as to please gather some water for us?"  
Kohaku nodded, walked inside to grab a bucket, and silently went off to complete his errand.  
"Perhaps you would like to go and join him Takashi, and take a good look at the village?"  
Takashi hesitated, and then stared at Kohaku walking off in the distance. He shrugged and grabbed another bucket from where the other one sat.  
"Okay, I'll be back later; hey, Kohaku, wait up!"  
Kohaku turned around and stood in the middle of the dirt road, waiting as Takashi caught up with him.  
"Thank you."  
Kohaku said nothing and simply walked on with Takashi beside him. Takashi looked around at all of the villagers doing their chores and talking with each other. Though the village seemed comfortable, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get back home.  
  
Takashi stopped next to Kohaku as they reached the river. They both dumped their buckets into the river, sitting back for a moment while they filled. Takashi looked up and froze, as he saw a strange ghost-like creature with a flute floating at the edge of the forest. Several little children seemed to float behind it, dancing to the music. Takashi was fascinated.  
"-It's a soul-piper."  
"Huh?"  
Takashi turned to see Kohaku, who had stood up and smiled.  
  
"A soul-piper; they calm the souls of dead children before they cross over."  
"Wow...so those children are...-?"  
Kohaku nodded. Takashi felt sad for the poor children, though he was glad they were comforted by this strange creature...  
"My mother has taught me the skills of demon slayers, so I know about different demons and creatures...-my father also taught me how to exorcise evil spirits."  
"Really? That's so awesome! I think I'm best at science..."  
Kohaku gave Takashi a strange look.  
"Sssciii...-what?"  
"Uh, it's kind of like studying why everything is the way it is...for example-"  
Takashi pointed at the river.  
"The river is moving downstream because of gravity...because of the way the world moves, a force is created that keeps us on the ground...-But you know, all of these things about demons-"  
He stared at the soul-piper again.  
"...-That I just can't explain."  
  
***  
  
I thank those of you who have supported my very first fanfiction. I really appreciated those reviews...I'm sorry I didn't make any personal comments before like disclaimers and little jokes about why I don't update more often...I'm really very funny, I just haven't felt like joking lately whenever I'm writing this...  
  
However...  
  
If some of you enjoy my writing style and would like me to do something comical, feel free to give me suggestions! My friend Botan (real name shall remain unknown) and I are always coming up with hilarious ideas...usually involving chibis... 


	4. An Old Foe Revealed

I apologize for my lack of updates as of late...I've been experiencing a creative block and I've been under stress from my school...But anyway, I hope that now I can get back to my fic!!! ^_^ I thank you for being patient with me...NOW ON TO THE FIC!!! *Blows trumpet and charges in on a dragon*  
  
Takashi walked back down the dirt path with Kohaku, who was still remaining silent. As they found themselves back at Kohaku's home, he set down the water and followed him inside. His mother and father were sitting with Shippo, Miroku in a heated discussion with Shippo, while Sango listened in and gently pet the small cat.  
As Takashi sat down, their quarrel immediately died down, both staring uncomfortably at him.  
"Uh, hello Takashi, we were just talking about you."  
"Why were you arguing so harshly?"  
Shippo cleared his throat.  
"Well, there are certain circumstances about you that seem a little...suspicious."  
Takashi stared at Shippo, unsure of his implications.  
"Suspicious? You mean you don't trust me?"  
"-No, no! That's not it at all...it's only that certain things about you...perplex us...your clothes, you reactions to our village, and of course most importantly, your scent..."  
He titled his head.  
"Scent? What's so weird about a scent?"  
Shippo leaned forward towards him, staring at his face over the fire.  
"There's something verrrrry strange about your scent...deep down, it seems like something in your scent is being...masked...like it's trying to hide something about you."  
"What?! But I don't have any physical problems with my body! I'm not asthmatic, I'm not overweight, -I'm even scrawny! - and I don't take any drugs!"  
Miroku nudged Shippo and whispered in his ear.  
"I see what you mean about his awkward speech; what's an asthmatic?"  
Shippo cleared his throat and stood up, walking over to Takashi.  
"It's not really a problem..."  
He sniffed in the air as he sat down beside him.  
"More like...something in your blood..."  
"-And I sense something latent within your aura," Miroku stated.  
"What are you saying? My body's trying to keep a secret?" Takashi began to laugh nervously.  
Shippo stared seriously at him...  
"...Actually, it very well could be...but, the frightening thing is...since the first time I detected it, it's grown stronger; begun to reveal itself."  
He placed his clawed hand on Takashi's shoulder, looking at him in concern.  
"Whatever it is, I want you to be on your guard...For all we know, it could be a curse..."  
Takashi felt a jolt of adrenaline as Shippo said "curse". What kind of curse? Annoying? Terrible?...  
...Deadly?  
  
Later that night, Takashi lay in his bed, trying to process everything that had happened to him.  
-How can I fall asleep in one place, and then wake up in another place that I've never even seen before?...  
-I hope Mom isn't too worried about me...  
Suddenly, he heard Shippo and Miroku arguing outside  
"Shippo, I'm afraid all we can do for now is be on our guard; he seems like a harmless boy."  
"Yes...but I'm starting to think about what that snake demon said to him..."  
Shippo walked in through the door and looked at Takashi, who was facing away from him in bed. He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and shook Takashi's shoulder. He turned over and stared at Shippo, wondering what he wanted.  
"Takashi, is there anything...different *at all* about you that we should know?"  
Takashi shook his head.  
"Not that I know of."  
Shippo sighed and let go of his shoulder, walking over to his bed.  
"Alright, go back to sleep; sorry I woke you."  
"It's alright, I was awake anyway. Good night."  
Shippo curled up in his bed, staring in puzzlement at Takashi before closing his eyes and letting sleep claim him.  
  
***  
  
The fire in the hut had died to a few glowing embers, casting a wisp of smoke in the air. Takashi tossed and turned in his bed, his skin slick with sweat. He groaned and cried out from his dreams, pulling the blankets over his head and curling up in pain.  
  
***  
  
The reflection again...  
Takashi found himself staring at the same reflection as the night before...It grinned at him maliciously, and then vanished. Takashi felt relieved, and reached to wipe the sweat from his brow...  
-To find he had the same viciously sharp claws.  
  
***  
  
Takashi awoke with a start the next morning, panting as he shot upward from his bed. He was breathing heavily as he looked around the room, but then sighed as he realized it was another terrible dream. He rested his face in his hands, trying to calm himself down. He stared through his fingers to see Shippo, calmly sleeping in the other corner of the room. He sighed, and lowered his hands down to his lap.  
  
"DEMONS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!! THERE ARE DEMONS IN THE VILLAGE!!!"  
Takashi's head whipped up to the sound of the shouting, yelping as a sudden shock wave threw him out of his bed and a few inches into the air. He scrambled up and stared out the door to see the villagers running around in fear, some scrambling for their children.  
He looked off to the end of the village, to see a young woman standing on the roof of one of the houses...she held a fan over her face, watching the hysteria. She wore an elegant kimono, her hair inky black and held up in the back. He gasped as he saw a swarm of strange looking wasps terrorizing the villagers.  
He screamed as he felt a hand clasp his shoulder, only to feel relief as he saw that it was only Shippo pulling him out of the way.  
"What the...NO! IT COULDN'T BE! THEY'RE DEAD!!!"  
He rushed out of the hut and into the streets, heading towards the young woman.  
"Wait! Shippo! Don't leave me alone! What do I do?!"  
Shippo stopped in his tracks and yelled back at Takashi.  
"HELP THE PEOPLE GET OUT OF THE VILLAGE!"  
Takashi ran outside looking for someone to help, when he noticed a child lying motionless by one of the houses. He ran over and looked at the child, her eyes blank.  
"Are you okay? Can you hear me?"  
He shook the child, hoping to force her awake. But suddenly, a figure appeared from behind the house, staring blankly at Takashi. It was a young girl, pale as a ghost and dressed completely in white; even her hair.  
"I found you," she stated dully.  
Takashi held the girl in his arms protectively, backing away from the suspicious little girl.  
"Wh-Who are you?"  
"-Hello Takashi."  
Takashi cried out and whipped around to see a man smiling down at him. He found himself paralyzed as he stared into the man's piercing red eyes. His hair was dark and mangled. Takashi found himself whimpering in the man's presence.  
"Takashi? How do you know my name?"  
"-Now now, Takashi...Whimpering like that is very unbecoming for a young demon."  
"...Demon?"  
"TAKASHI!!!"  
Takashi looked to his right to see Shippo running towards him, holding a blue flame in his hand. His eyes widened in terror as he saw the man whom had addressed Takashi.  
"N...-Naraku! What are you doing with Takashi?!"  
"Well if it isn't Shippo...you've grown quite a bit...-Well, regarding Takashi, I'm taking him with me...he's the reason I'm here."  
"WHAT?"  
"The entire reason why Takashi's come here from the future is because I have plans for him."  
"The future?! You mean-"  
Shippo stared at Takashi and gasped.  
"That was the other part of the scent I recognized..."  
Takashi's eyes widened. He ran towards Shippo but was thrown to the ground by Naraku's hand.  
"What do you want with him?"  
"His power; I intend to make it my own."  
"Power? What power?! I'm just a normal kid!"  
Naraku chuckled, his cold, dark voice making Takashi shiver.  
"Oh, but Takashi you're more powerful than you know...and you hold something very precious within your chest..."  
Naraku kneeled down and touched the spot in front of his heart, much to his protest. Takashi flinched, but was surprise as the same pink glowing light emanated from his chest that he had seen the other night.  
"Then...he's..."  
  
"That's right, Shippo. He's *her* son."  
"Takashi...is Kagome's son?"  
Takashi stared at Shippo in confusion from his place on the ground.  
"Wait, how do you know her? You know my mother?"  
Naraku laughed, Takashi cowering as he stood over him.  
  
Takashi suddenly felt faint as a dark purple fog surrounded him. He fell back into the clouds and began to black out...he heard Shippo call out to him, his voice barely audible as if from a long distance.  
But Naraku's voice was clear...  
"Yes, he knows your mother Takashi, as do I...and do you know what else?"  
Takashi reached out for something, anything, but gasped when he saw his hand as the shadows overtook it...  
"...I know your father, too."  
And all faded into the darkness.  
  
- :] Yes, I'm sure you all know who the big bad daddy is...but hey, we gotta keep the drama up for Takashi, cause *he* sure don't know!!!  
  
- Next time, on "Finding the Past", find out what Naraku is planning for Takashi...and learn how Takashi's fate came to be!  
  
- TvT Thank you so much for reviewing, you guys!!! I feel so loved! I hope I continue to please you! 


	5. An Old Foe and an Old Friend

-- I haven't been flamed yet, so I'm assuming I'm good at this... Suddenly bursts into flames  
  
O.O...HIEI!!! Chibi-Hiei: - "Sowwy..." Shrug Well, I haven't been metaphorically "flamed" yet... Anyway, beginning a little bit here, the story starts to get a little bit more adult...nothing too bad, no lemons, limes or stuff like that, just "the facts of life" and a little gore possibly later... ONTO THE STORY!!!  
  
In what felt like an instant Takashi aroused from his unconscious state. He feared to open his eyes...Who knew what surrounded him?  
He curled up in his position on the ground...he was surprised when he realized that he was on a wooden floor; yet he was still too afraid to look at where he was. The heat in the air prickled at his skin, making his hairs stand on end. The warm, damp feeling to this place reminded him of the air before a thunderstorm.  
-What happened? The last thing I remember was fainting inside of a dark cloud...and-  
He gasped and opened his eyes, screaming as he saw his hand. His entire body shook as he stared at his fingers.  
He had claws.  
His breathing was raspy as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself down. His hand brushed against his ear, causing more distress as he hesitated upon reaching it. He felt the shaping of his ear, and began to panic. He stared around the dark room, then screamed as he saw Naraku sitting in the corner, watching him. He quaked and whimpered as his cold voice rattled with a low chuckle.  
"What a waste of power...what cruel joke was it to bestow such gifts to you?"  
Naraku's voice seemed infinitely louder; it pounded in Takashi's ears. Suddenly, Takashi no longer felt fear, but anger. He stood up from his place on the floor, stomped over to Naraku, who stood up as well. He grabbed his kimono by the collar with both hands and shook him violently.  
"Where am I! Why am I here!!!"  
Naraku made no reply; he simply stood there and continued to quietly laugh. Takashi felt his anger rising...and a low, intimidating growl escaped his throat. He stepped back in surprise from the action, startled that he made such a noise.  
"I would have thought the first question you'd ask would be what's happened to you."  
Naraku waved his hand idly in the air, miraculously producing a mirror out of thin air. He held the small mirror in his hand, gesturing it towards Takashi. He hesitated, not daring to look into the reflection. He took a deep breath, and reached towards the mirror with his clawed fingers. He winced at the sight of them again. He pulled the mirror quickly from Naraku's grasp, and slowly turned his head towards its gaze.  
He screamed as he stared at himself in the mirror. He touched his bangs, pulling the feathery strands through his fingers. His eyes had changed as well; the left was still brown, but had drastically lightened from the dark chocolate they had once been...the right, however, was a blazing gold iris. He drew his attention to his ears and pull back a few strands of hair to look- instead of his normal, rounded human ears, he now had long, pointed ears much like Shippo's.  
"WHAT AM I!!!"  
"Your mother never told you? Hmm, I suppose the subject was too painful for her..."  
He laughed again-Takashi couldn't help but let out another fierce growl.  
"W-why have you brought me here?"  
Naraku smiled and sneered down at Takashi.  
"This place...is five-hundred years into the past. Your mother, Kagome...she had the ability to come and go from here to your time as she pleased. She had great powers conferred to her- she was the reincarnation of a powerful priestess whom protected a sacred jewel; the Shikon no Tama.  
"As the son of such a powerful priestess, I knew you would have the same spiritual gifts...and that the Shikon jewel would once again be reborn...-And not only would you have the power in spirit of your mother...; but the strength of your blood."  
Power of spirit? Strength of blood? Was he really that extraordinary? What did he want with him because of this "power"?  
"...If you think I'm going to serve you, think again! I'll do everything I have to in order to get out of here!"  
"Oh, Takashi, I don't intend to have you serve me..."  
Naraku laughed loudly and disappeared in a swirl of purple smoke. Takashi fell down to the floor, the stress proving too much for him. He began to hyperventilate, clawing at the floor with his new hands. He fell on his back and began pounding the floor and crying out for help.  
But in his terrified state, a scent past his nose. He rose up, and sniffed the air, focusing his senses. He couldn't put his finger on it...but something was telling him it was a demon.  
Wait...he knew what demons smelled like?  
He looked around the room, realizing that everything was effortlessly sharper in his gaze. He remembered how loud Naraku had seemed...he took his clawed finger, and gently tapped it once on the ground; the vibrations seemed like thunder in his ears.  
"So...I have heightened senses now...?"  
"KAGOME!!!"  
Takashi raised his head to the mention of his mother's name. Could his mother have come to this place to get him? But...who was the voice who called her name? He thought when he smelled demon that it might have been Shippo...But this voice seemed rougher, and the scent was...much different.  
Takashi stood up and crept to the sliding door, peeking it open to see what was going on. Suddenly, he fell back on his rear end as somebody else slid open the door with great force.  
"Kagome, are you here?! Huh?"  
The shadowed figure stood in the path of the doorway, staring down at the frightened Takashi. It growled threateningly, approaching him. He backed up on his hands and feet, afraid of this stranger.  
"Kagome's here...It may have been 16 years, but I'd still know her scent anywhere! Now tell me kid; WHERE IS SHE?!"  
-How does this guy know Mom? Or is it another Kagome?...  
-...No...he smelled me, and thought I was Mom...  
"K-Kagome...Higurashi?"  
The shadowed figure, took a step back, his tense muscles relaxing in hesitation.  
"How do you know her full name? Who are you?"  
"Takashi..."  
"What are you doing in a place like this?"  
Takashi forgot his former curiosity about his mother, deciding it was more important to get out of here first...Maybe this stranger could help him.  
"I was kidnapped by a demon named Naraku...!"  
"Naraku?!"  
The stranger growled again...from his scent, Takashi guessed he was the demon he smelled.  
"I could have sworn he was dead...DAMN IT!...But...Why would he want to absorb a little weakling like you?"  
"He said I have hidden powers...That I inherited from my mother..."  
Takashi folded his arms and snorted.  
"They must have hidden themselves pretty well, I've never so much as taken a punch..."  
"Who are your parents?"  
"Well, my mother...is Kagome Higurashi-"  
"What?! You're Kagome's son?"  
Takashi nodded nervously.  
"But...you couldn't be...she was..."  
"Huh? Who are you, anyway?!"  
The shadowed figure stepped forth, revealing himself. He had crystal blue eyes, and long black hair that he tied up high in the back. He had clawed hands and pointed ears, two fangs sticking out as he casually flashed a smile. He wore thick brown furs, and a long brown tail swished back and forth behind him.  
"The name's Kouga; I'm an old friend of your mother."  
"What are you?"  
"I'm a wolf demon; you wouldn't know much about this world, would you? I bet your mother never told you."  
"You know my mom?"  
Takashi felt a flood of questions fill his mind, urging him to ask them.  
"How do you know her? "  
Kouga eagerly slapped his hand over Takashi's mouth.  
"Shut it, pup! Somebody could hear you!"  
He slowly pried his hand off of Takashi's mouth, turning around to look out the door.  
"Um," Takashi whispered. "Why did you call me 'pup'?"  
"You're a young demon aren't you?"  
Takashi sighed in frustration...so far he didn't like being a demon.  
"Come on, it looks clear..."  
Kouga grabbed Takashi's wrist and led him through the halls of the castle.  
  
Naraku smiled while he sat in another room. Everything was going precisely as he needed it to. Takashi would now tell the others...and the plan would be set.  
  
-I would like to take this time to respond to my reviews:  
  
loveyaa- My first reviewer EVER! Thank you very much; your review made me feel sooooo successful.  
  
Simply a Lady- I'm glad you like it! And I'm trying VERY hard to keep updating this...darned school...  
  
Janet- O.O I didn't even realize I had made it funny...Ooh! Do you mean when he shouts in caps and stuff when he's confused? I'll try and put more of that in if I can...Writes a memo  
  
btrain126- Thank you very much! I'd like to know myself...my mind has been misbehaving on me lately...it won't do what I tell it to...Slap myself in the face O.O HEY! BAD NEURAL-SYSTEM-THINGY!!!  
  
pogogirl- Hey, cool name! I'm glad you think my fic is cool. I just go by what I think would be cool... you know, something that if I read from somebody else's or saw it on TV would make me squeal with excitement...It seems to be working well!  
  
EvilRyuA13- Whoa, wiiiiicked penname! Gotta find out how you came up with that... O.O Anyway, regarding your review; At least you were devoted enough to come back! TvT I know it took me a while to update...O.O wait...I was...on...your fave's list?!?! ToT Oh, c'mere you! Cyber hug Yeah, I was totally excited when I came up with the idea for a full grown Shippo...I'm gonna try to draw a pic of him really hot and stuff -  
  
Mr. P Coat – HA AHAHAHAHAHHAHJHAGH WHAT THE HECK DOES JSZH MEAN?  
  
Claire- Gasps as she types with all her speed and might I'M DOIN' WHAT I CAN!!! - Thank you for your review please come again! 


	6. Reflections

O0...So much...frickin...homework...Japanese class, Vet Science, IT'S TOO MUCH! Not to mention volunteer work at WAGS (Sign up today! Send one dog, get a 2nd dog discount! -) I'm sorry I can't update this very often. It's hard for me to continue at this point, because I had all the previous stuff COMPLETELY figured out. But now I've figured out what goes where, so here goes...cracks knuckles...

Naraku watched Takashi through Kanna's mirror, amused by his bleak expression. He was lost in his own thoughts, walking aimlessly as Kouga pulled him around different turns of the hallways. He smirked at the thought that Kouga actually believed he could have rescued him so easily.

"You think you can keep him safe from me; Kouga, you are a fool. You're simply delaying the inevitable."

"-Naraku, why are you letting them escape? We need the boy, and-"

"Patience, Kagura." He looked behind him to see her sour expression.

"I only brought the boy here so I could fully break the spell. But now that his demon powers are reawakening...-well, I suppose you could say he needs a little time on his own..."

"But now the others know you're still alive! Without a doubt, they'll come for you."

Naraku leered at the mirror as it faded into another image.

"I'm counting on it. My plans didn't merely include Takashi's suffering alone..."

He grabbed the mirror from Kanna, looking down into it and smiling.

Shippo crept around on the ground, sniffing furiously, filtering out every little detail of each scent to the last particle of dust. His palms were sweaty, caked with soil as he crawled. Miroku sighed in boredom and wrapped his arm around Sango's waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Shippo, how much longer is this-"

"Shh."

He pushed himself up onto his knees and sniffed the air as a breeze passed. His eyes widened, and he stood up, pointing in the direction the wind came from.

"That way."

Miroku nodded and lifted Sango onto Kirara, then mounted her himself and took off. Shippo raced along on the ground, occasionally jumping over the treetops so Kirara could keep track of him. As he ran, he grimaced in shame.

I let Naraku take him. I'm not any stronger than when I first met Kagome.

He thought back to when she still traveled with them; how she used to give him treats; how she'd let him curl up beside her every night before going to sleep...

And now I've lost her real son to that bastard. How could she ever forgive me if she were here?

He had watched in horror as Takashi vanished into the smoke of Naraku's miasma, realizing just what had happened. The only son of his surrogate mother had been taken by the most cruel and evil demon to have ever lived.

I'll get him back, Kagome.

"Well, here we are."

"Wow...this place is amazing..."

Takashi looked at the waterfall, observing the landscape. Wolves were laying contently among the rocks, some pups playing by the water. He looked up to see two demons running down to greet them, jumping down from behind the waterfall.

"Hey, Kouga! Who's the runt?"

"...This is Takashi. He's Kagome's son."

Takashi did not like the looks on their faces when they heard Kouga say that. They stared at him, then looked at Kouga sympathetically. He rolled his eyes at them and shrugged.

"What! We all knew it wasn't going to be that way."

"...Be what way?"

Kouga looked down at Takashi, and gave a nervous laugh, then cleared his throat.

"I uh...I kind of wanted your mother to be my mate-"

"WHAT!" Takashi's yell shook the trees as hundreds of birds took off in fright.

...-Revived after fainting, Takashi coughed and sputtered as the cold water hit his face, shaking his head as he looked up at Kouga.

"Relax. Nothing happened between us. The feeling wasn't mutual for her. Besides, does it look like I'm your sire?"

Takashi scratched his head.

"I guess you're right...even though this is probably a spell, I doubt white hair and yellow eyes were recessive genes."

Kouga stared for a moment, his eyebrows raised HIGH up. His mind went a complete blank, wondering what the hell Takashi just said.

"What the hell is a gene!"

Takashi sighed and wiped the remaining water off of his face.

"Never mind. I'm convinced you and everyone else here is just a stupid crazy dream. –Ow! Hey!"

Takashi rubbed his head, hissing at the pain after Kouga bopped him on the head.

"Was that enough to enlighten ya?"

"Yes! Ow! Fine, I get it, I'm awake, this is real and I can't change that. But still...I wanna get out of here. I mean look at what's happened to me!" He stared down at the brook, looking at his reflection swirling in the water. He remembered the reflection in his dream; and it was laughing at him again as he screamed inside.

"Yesterday I was a normal kid trying to make it through school with some social dignity. Now when they call me a freak, it'll be literally...-That is if ever even get home again."

He sulked, his shoulders drooped and his head hanging down. Kouga came over and looked at him.

"What do you mean they call you a freak?"

He rested his forehead against his hand, and closed his eyes searching his memory.

"Well, there were some incidents when I was younger; the kids thought I was weird. Like one time when I was really young...I can barely remember it, but it was my first day ever at school..."

Takashi wouldn't budge; he stood there, petrified, clutching his dog doll. He looked up at his mother, who just smiled and beckoned him to go in further. He took a step, then changed his mind and ran back to his Kagome, clinging to her leg. She sighed and leaned over to stroke his hair, speaking to the teacher.

"Sorry; he's not away from me very often, and he's very shy. I've been nervous about taking him places because of a little condition he has."

"Oh? What is it?"

The teacher leaned in closer and whispered.

"Don't worry, I've seen them all before; bed wetter, paste eater, you know...so I'm sure things will be okay..."

"Well, actually...it's not that kind of thing...it's more...it's more of a genetics thing...his father was...a very different man."

The teacher looked sad.

"...Was?"

"...I'd rather not discuss that. But the point is, he's pretty much never been around anybody except his family."

"This 'genetic thing'...is he sick?"

"Oh no, no! Very healthy in fact, it's just that...er...well the kids would make fun of him. I can't say much more than that."

"Well, alright..."

Kagome knelt down and cleaned his face with a wipe, pulling the hair away from his face affectionately.

"It's okay honey, I promise you'll be fine. Just go in there and you can play."

He smiled a little.

"Play?"

"Yes. And you'll get to make some friends too!"

He giggled and clapped his hands.

"Play an' friends!"

She looked up at the teacher.

"He also doesn't say much in front of people. At home he's quite talkative, though..."

She picked him up and carried him into the room, setting him down on the floor and kissing him on the cheek. But when he realized she was leaving, he toddled towards her as fast as he could, then began to kick and grunt when the teacher restrained him.

"Mama! Mama!"

"Takashi, it's okay. Your mother will be back later today to pick you up."

"But-! But Mama-! But! I want Mama!" He struggled to convey his message as he tried to wriggle out of the teacher's arms. Luckily, the teacher had a secret weapon...bribery.

"Takashi, the other kids are having a snack right now; why don't you join them?"

Takashi stopped his struggling, then hesitantly looked over at the other kids.

"But..."

"What? What's wrong Takashi?"

"I don't know..."

"You don't know what's wrong?"

"No...playing..." He pointed at the kids.

"Oh...you've never played with other kids before, is that what you're talking about?"

Takashi nodded violently.

"There's nothing to worry about; talk with them the same way you do with your mother."

"...O-...Okay..."

He walked over slowly, clutching his dog tighter. As he walked, one of his shoe laces was loose, and he stepped on it, tripping and falling into some of the chairs, knocking them over. He found himself on the floor, every single kid in the room laughing and pointing at him. Some came over and teased him, others just made faces at him.

Slowly, a burning rage kindled in his mind. He stood up and told them to stop laughing at him, but they just told him to shut up. He clenched his fist, and bared his teeth. Then he opened his eyes...

"I...I don't remember anything after that until I woke up in the nurse's office. The teacher said I attacked one of the kids...I ripped his shirt to shreds. His parents moved him to a different school just to keep him away from me...the other kids wouldn't even talk to me. Now I'm known as the mute freak who sits in the corner alone and doesn't speak."

He sat down by the water, looking away as Kouga sat beside him.

"So you go into a blind rage and now nobody even talks to you...It sure sounds like you live like the half-breed you are..."

"Half-breed?"

"Somebody who's half-human half-demon. Like you, the other half-breeds live difficult lives because neither race will accept them for what they are. The demons see them as weak; and the humans fear them and see them as abominations."

"But...why did you say I'm a half-breed?"

He shrugged.

"Well, you're obviously part demon."

"I'm not a half-breed. This is just some spell of Naraku's..."

"Not to ruin it for you kid, but from what I can smell on you, a spell has actually been broken."

Takashi raised his eyebrows, looking over at Kouga with suspicion.

"What? Broken?"

"Yeah; I figure somebody put a binding spell on your demon blood. Naraku must've broken the spell when he had you at his castle."

"No...I can't be demon. I'm not...Why would Mom...?"

"Hey, I resent that."

"Sorry."

He took out the beads in his pocket and rolled them in between his fingers, sighing. He looked up when he heard Kouga gasp, seeing his shocked expression.

"Where...the hell...did you get those!"

"My mom made them; she said my father had one just like it..."

"Holy..."

Kouga grabbed the beads and looked at them, then looked at Takashi. His face turned slightly upset.

"Your father?...Th-...He...THAT...HE'S your old man!"

"What! You know who my dad is!"

Kouga clutched the beads hard in his palm, then began to grind his teeth, mumbling to himself.

"I can't...believe...that frickin'..."

"Kouga who is he! Tell me!"

"-HIS NAME IS INUYASHA, ALRIGHT! INUYASHA!"

Takashi felt a door open in his mind. His father's name. He'd never heard it before.

He picked up the beads after Kouga threw them to the ground and stormed into the forest, screaming his head off yelling something about undeserving mutts.

I DID IT! WOO! I BLOODY DID IT! Shakes her freaky thang while the chibis run in fright of her dancing I HAVE OVERCOME MY CREATIVE BLOCK! Holds up a box labeled Brain Drain I knew these brain laxatives would work! - (I know. BAD Joke!) Though I still wish I should have read this: "Warning: Side effects include turning what is supposed to be a dramatic moment into a comic moment of ranting and raving."

Now in response to one of my reviews...I've got a dramatic plot thing going here. Inuyasha is not here for a REASON. After Kagome left he had to take some time to reflect on things...III So if you began to read this story for some hot Tetsusaiga wielding dog demon action, TOO BAD, HE'S NOT HERE YET!

For what's coming up in the future...we'll be meeting even more friendly faces from the past...some not as friendly as others...

But sometime in the future chapters, he may not be so friendly, but he's twice as hot as anything; that's right folks! It's that cuddly killer of a bishie, FFFFFLUUUUUUFFFYYYYYY!

Sesshoumaru waves regally to the hordes of fangirls trying to smash down the bullet-proof patented glass wall

I like Kouga better myself, though u Drags Kouga away by his tail to her room


	7. Revisions

To all my readers:

You're gonna think I'm a real S#& for this, but I'm going to take some time to do some revisions. The main plot will still go the same way, but some things I added in I find too tacky to stand, most of it regarding Takashi in the future (as in present day at the well and all that) and I'll also be adding a few things hopefully. By the way, I'M SORRY I'M SUCH A LAZY B$. Homework stinks in the life of a writer.


	8. Like Father Like Son

TuT You people love me! Hehee! Maybe one day I'll have my own manga yet!

Good news; I'm not gonna bother making those tweaks...just go with anything that doesn't fit in the future and rest assured that I would have changed it for that benefit. Also, since I FINALLY got to see the Inuyasha movie I got for Christmas with my best friend, I AM INSPIRED AGAIN!

Now, I was gonna wait a while longer, but since everybody's been DYING to find out where Inuyasha is, I'll let you guys in on it in this chapter. Are ya happy now? YA WEEDLED IT OUT OF ME! Walks off mumbling gibberish, cuddling her new Fluffy Plushie

Takashi stared in horror at what lay before him. His face was a grimace, hesitant as the wolf demons pushed him.

"Go on! What are you afraid of?"

"No! I am not doing this!" He shook his head fiercely, knowing that they must be crazy if they expected him to face this...

"For the love of..."

"...-JUST EAT THE DAMNED MEAT!"

Takashi stuck out his tongue in disgust, gagging at the wild boar corpse plopped in front of him.

"But...it's not even cooked! It's all nasty and sweaty and covered in bugs and-"

Upon hearing that he didn't want it, the wolves lunged at the meat and began sinking their teeth into the boar. Takashi let out a dry heave, and ran outside by the water. Gagging one last time before sighing with relief, Takashi remembered his hunger and clutched his growling stomach.

"I don't know what's worse; dying of starvation or food poisoning..."

"You don't have to worry about little things like that, you know..."

Takashi turned around to see Kouga, who was carrying something under his arm.

"I knew you wouldn't eat that, being human and all, so I swiped something from a village nearby."

He tossed him a slab of cooked meat, the steam wafting the scent into Takashi's nose, causing him to salivate. He sank his fangs into the meat and ripped out a chunk, chewing it ravenously as he tore it apart. He growled a little in satisfaction as he tugged at a piece, the juices running down his fingers. Kouga chuckled at the site, shaking his head a little.

"Aside from the whole raw meat thing, you sure do EAT like a demon..."

"Give me a break...I haven't eaten anything in two days."

"Kid, I've gone a pretty long time without food before...and I haven't eaten like that."

Takashi hesitated in mid bite and removed the meat, wiping the juice from his fingers.

"But look at you...one fourth dog demon and you hardly even look it. Sure, you've got the fangs and the claws...but you certainly don't have the other traits...yet."

Takashi stared at Kouga, a little juice drizzling from the corner of his mouth.

"Dog demon?"

"Yeah, your old man was a mutt, but he still had quite a bloodline...I heard that his mother was a fair woman to humans, but his FATHER...well, everyone knows about HIS old man."

"What?"

"The great ruler of the Western Lands; he was one of the most powerful demons to have ever lived. Then he fell in love with a human. Some say she made him weak, but I have to say, there was definitely something between your mother and father that made him stronger..."

Takashi pondered this as he wiped his face.

"...Dogs, demon or not, seem to feel deep loyalty towards humans. He didn't even want Kagome to leave his side..."

Kouga looked up at the stars, sighing.

"You really cared about her, didn't you?"

"Ah, it's alright. Truth is I got a mate now." He slapped his hand on his forehead and shook his head laughing.

"Sixteen pups and counting."

Takashi stared wide-eyed.

"...And...counting?"

"Eh, she likes children; can't get enough. She's been due for three more, soon...But, as the alpha male, can't complain! Hehe!" Kouga winked at Takashi, who just shuddered.

"...Wait, if you live in this time, how can you tell how many she's gonna have?"

"...-I'm a demon. We can sense, it even during conception..."

"So you knew when...it happened, that you were gonna...uh..."

"Knock her up?"

Takashi flinched at the phrase.

"Uh...yeah."

"Well, she wants 'em...and every leader needs an heir..."

"-Or twenty...-Wait, that means..."

"What?"

"What about half-demons? Can they...er, sense it?"

"Yeah. How come?"

Takashi felt a little happy. He had always thought that his father had just left his mom to raise him; but if he knew he be born because of their actions, then that meant that he had wanted him, maybe even more than his mom. He pulled out the rosary and pulled it over his neck, wearing it with a little pride.

At Naraku's lair, Kanna's mirror glowed a light gold, causing Naraku to come over. She handed it to him, and he looked in for the source, then smirked.

"Heh. You're very proud of him, aren't you? To see your side of him emerging."

The mirror glowed a light tinge of blood red, pulsing a little.

"Getting angry at me isn't going to change anything. You know I will kill him eventually."

The color turned darker, bursts of electricity spurting out, the pulse strengthening. Naraku laughed as the mirror shook in his hand.

"Just you wait. Slowly his demon heritage is seeping back into his being. When the time is right, I'll snap what's left of the barrier and his demon blood will flood through his veins. And then you know what happens next."

The mirror changed color again, this time to a dark blue.

"Now sadness and desperation. Come now, he doesn't even know you're-"

Naraku recoiled in pain and clutched his burnt hand, Kanna quickly catching the mirror as it pulsed dark purple and red, then settled. Naraku looked at the burning wound on his palm, smirking. He looked in the mirror again at the huddled figure curled up in the fog, hopeless.

"Like it or not, you will have to watch your son die as your soul remains trapped in this mirror."

...Takashi...

Inuyasha curled up on the ground, the pain inside destroying him. He first laid eyes on his son only a few days ago when he came through the well. After years of imprisonment, seeing him comforted him beyond measure. He could see him now, whenever he closed his eyes. Just looking at his face made him long for Kagome.

He remembered that night so many years ago. He and the others had thought they had defeated Naraku in battle. A few days after, he and Kagome opened up to each other. They became mates on that same night. He remembered the next morning when he held Kagome close as she slept and pressed his hand to her belly the moment his child's life sparked within her.

That was the last he'd know of him or Kagome.

Naraku had faked his death by destroying Miroku's Wind Tunnel along with any other traces of his influence in the world. He had in fact waited for Inuyasha and Kagome to give in to their affections and mate, the first step in his longest, most complex and cruelest plan ever. As Inuyasha fell back to sleep under the sacred tree, Naraku snatched the Shikon Jewel and destroyed it. The reaction forced Kagome back into her own time, and Inuyasha woke up to find her vanishing into thin air.

When he realized the well wouldn't work, he was so desperate that he clawed at it until his fingers bled and his nails were dull. He wandered off away from the village, trying to find some way to bring her back.

After a long time of searching, he gave up. The Shikon Jewel was gone; as was Kagome, his life along with her.

Naraku found him, weak and heartbroken, lying by the sacred tree. Inuyasha tried to resist, but Kanna pulled his frail soul easily into the mirror, where he had been trapped ever since.

He closed his eyes again and looked at Takashi, studying his features carefully. He was with that dumb wolf Kouga, who looked irked. He couldn't help but smirk as a little part of his old self thought, "hee hee hee-hee hee, I got Kagome..."

But just as he finished this thought, he sensed a jolt of pain surge through his son. He looked over to find him lying on the ground, clutching his arms to his chest. He shook his head and sighed, knowing what was happening.

Kouga knelt down and shook Takashi, trying to help him up.

"TAKASHI! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"I...can't! Something...really...HURTS!"

Kouga's eyes widened as he saw Takashi change. Both his fangs and claws lengthened. He cried out and writhed about on the ground, his muscles twitching. A streak of white ran through the part of his hair and around the back left, shining in the moonlight. When it was all over, he let out a long breath and began to hyperventilate, then crawled over to the water and splashed it on his face.

"Damn, look at your fangs! I've never seen a set like that on a part-demon... Hardly even any pure demons, for that matter!"

He opened his mouth slightly to look at the reflection. They were longer and sharper than both Kouga's and Shippo's, his own teeth scaring him out of his wits. He stood up and looked at Kouga.

"Uh, what just happened?"

"...It wasn't just the one transformation? Oh no...I'm gonna keep changing."

"...Hey, kid, being...being a demon isn't that bad...you can do a lot of things humans can't do..."

Takashi sighed.

"Like?"

"Like...well, there's strength, there's speed, there's longevity, and there's acute senses."

He grabbed the food he'd been eating, and noticed with frustration that his new fangs cut through the meat effortlessly as he bit into it.


	9. Uh Oh

Aww, I feel better now. I thought people had stopped reading. Yeah, I know I haven't updated...sorry about that! But it's my junior year in high school, and you know, it's hard to find the time and inspiration to write at the same time. I've got a job, two hours of commute every school day, Japanese class, training my dog, and homework, which leaves me exhausted most of the rest of my time...Luckily this was a three day weekend, so I'm feeling pretty good today! Alright cracks knuckles let's get started then!

"Takashi? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kouga."

He looked down at his claws, the cuticles caked with dried blood. He looked down in the water again, studying his features.

"Claws...fangs...some white hair...and my eye color's getting lighter...Why am I changing now?"

Kouga sniffed the air for a second, shaking his head in confusion.

"What the hell...-?"

Takashi turned around and made a face as he found Kouga in his face sniffing vigorously.

"What the heck are you doing?"

"Your scent just went crazy for a minute!"

"What?"

Kouga backed up and looked away for a moment, pondering.

"It's like...there was a sudden burst and your scent changed. Little by little, you've been smelling more and more like a demon. I think something's going on with your demon blood."

Takashi remembered what Shippo had said...

--"More like...something in your blood..."

"-And I sense something latent within your aura," Miroku stated.

"What are you saying? My body's trying to keep a secret?" Takashi began to laugh nervously.

Shippo stared seriously at him...

"...Actually, it very well could be...but, the frightening thing is...since the first time I detected it, it's grown stronger; begun to reveal itself." --

Shippo walked around, grimacing.

"Dammit! He took off!"

Miroku jumped off of Kirara, quickly followed by Sango. Suddenly he gasped as she began to fall, and quickly ran over to catch her.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine...I just got a little dizzy."

"I guess it must be the miasma."

Shippo sniffed around, searching for any trace of Takashi. He worked his way out from the center, until he stopped and stood up.

"Kouga!"

Miroku and Sango looked up, walking over.

"You guys aren't gonna believe this! Takashi's okay!" He smiled and sighed with relief.

"Naraku went to the east, but Takashi's scent moves towards the southwest! And I think Kouga's with him; he must have rescued him!"

"-Wait...why would Naraku just let Kouga take Takashi? There's no way Kouga could outsmart Naraku..."

Shippo froze.

"Something's going on...and it revolves entirely around Takashi."

"Whatever it is, he'll be safer with us. Come on, let's go find him. I bet he's at the wolves' den with Kouga."

The next morning Takashi yawned and stood up to go outside and get a drink of water, mumbling "good morning" by reflex whenever one of the wolves came up and sniffed him. Stumbling down to the water, he bit his lip from the sudden rush of cold to his fingertips as he cupped the water in his hands.

Splashing cold water on his face, Takashi looked into the water for a few moments, then stood up and turned around but flinched when he saw Kouga standing right there in front of him.

"Hey, I got you something else. I couldn't help but notice how shredded your clothes are."

Takashi looked down at himself, remembering that for the last several days he had been walking around in his pajamas. For the first time, he noticed the pain in his feet as he looked down at the shredded socks. He had been walking with no shoes, and his feet had become blistered and sore.

"So I brought you some new stuff."

Takashi's face was twisted in apprehension, staring at Kouga's attire. He imagined himself covered in brown fur...yikes.

"I got it from the village where I've been stealing cooked meat for you."

He handed him a bundle containing a hakama, haori, and yukata, with a pair of shoes on top. The haori was a dark blue, and the pants were black. He felt the sturdy fabric and sighed with relief, setting it down on the ground and pulling off his shirt to put on the upper half. He then moved behind a rock to put on the pants, then fitted the shoes carefully and walked out to reveal himself.

"Heh. If your hair was longer, you'd look just like him."

"...You mean Inuyasha?"

Kouga nodded, but then gripped his chin in a contemplative manner.

"Well, you still got a couple of features missing. I just can't help but wonder if you'll get his ears."

"Listen...thanks for taking care of me lately."

"Hey, your mother would never forgive me if I left you out here."

Kouga turned off and mumbled a "see ya", stopping for a moment when Takashi blurted something out.

"-WAIT a minute. Ears? What do you mean 'if you'll get his ears'?"

Kouga grinned evilly and decided to let the boy worry about it for a while. It would take his mind off of other problems he had right now.

Takashi sat down, and as Kouga had predicted, began wondering what the heck he had meant. He already had elfish ears sticking out of his head, what could be weirder than that?

...Unless...

Takashi gasped and bit his fist, fearing the worst.

"Dad must have had huge deformed FREAK ears! Crap! I'm going to look like a total dork the rest of my life!"

Kouga laughed again from a distance, walking back up into the cave.

Sango stared down below as she watched Shippo dash across the treetops to remain in eyesight. Kirara was flying at a swift but steady speed, the wind blowing pleasantly against her face. She suddenly felt a slight pain in the back of her head, but it faded after a quick breath of air. She looked up, noticing it was very bright today and that there were few clouds.

"...-Miroku, not now-"

Sango found a familiar pair of hands wrapped around her bosom, gripping them through her uniform. She sighed as he gave a light chuckle, pulling her against him. He gently propped his chin on her shoulder as he spoke into her ear, his breath tickling the hairs on her neck.

"After we find Takashi we can go home and relax...it's been a while since you and I have had a chance to-"

"Miroku..."

He lifted his weight from her, leaning over to look at her face. She appeared ill, her eyebrows furrowed as she swayed with a bout of dizziness.

"I'm not feeling so well..."

That was all she needed to say. Miroku called down to Shippo, who stopped in his tracks and looked up.

"Something's wrong with Sango! She looks very sick!"

"Bring her down then!"

Kirara landed quickly on the ground, laying down to make it easier for Sango to dismount. Miroku laid her gently against Kirara, who growled comfortingly. She was pale as a ghost, groaning a little. Miroku brushed a few stray hairs from her face, looking concerned.

"Are you alright now?"

"I'm fine...I'm just a little motion sick is all."

"Motion sick? You never get motion sickness..."

"Uh...Miroku, could you go gather some wood for a fire?"

"What? But Sango-"

"Just go okay? I'll explain later."

Miroku clenched his fists and gave Shippo a death glare, but stormed off into the woods. Shippo waited for him to be completely out of ear shot, then finally sighed.

"Sango, I didn't want to say anything before you knew, but regarding this situation with Takashi, for your sake I'm going to tell you. This isn't motion sickness Sango; you're pregnant."

Sango's face lit up.

"R-...Really?"

"Yeah, well..." Shippo turned away. "I know you and Miroku have been trying for more and I just thought you'd prefer to find out on your own and tell him yourself but...You need to go back."

"...How long have you known?"

"About a month."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I...was worried about Takashi, and I needed all the help I could get. Now that we know he's with Kouga, I can go get him on my own if I want. Besides, the baby's starting to affect you."

Miroku grumbled as he tore about the woods picking up random bits and pieces of firewood. Sango was sick, and he was her husband! Who was SHIPPO to give orders?

Suddenly, Miroku dropped a piece of firewood and cursed as he looked to inspect his hand.

"-Ouch! Damned splinters!"

But this was no splinter. In horror, he touched the pinprick of a hole to find that he could feel his finger being pulled toward the hole in his palm. He closed his fist tight and looked back at the camp, then again at his hand.

"The Wind Tunnel."

That's right...I'm kicking up the drama here. Miroku's in big trouble, and Sango is expecting. I figured I couldn't just leave them with ONE measly kid, after Miroku's been rambling on and on throughout the entire time we've known him about wanting children.

You know, this stuff I'm writing really proves a point I keep trying to tell my teachers...They make us read into all this symbolism and deep hidden meanings and junk in English, right? Well, I've noticed that I accidentally-and I said ACCIDENTALLY- used a lot of mirror theme in this story. Which proves my point that, maybe these authors didn't WANT us looking for the hidden crap! Maybe it had NOTHING to do with the story that Piggy's glasses represent wisdom in Lord of the Flies! Maybe it had NOTHING to do with the story that Holden's hat reminds him of his brother because it's red like his hair in Catcher in the Rye! Or...maybe I'm just good at writing and I didn't know it? ...Hmm...NOPE! (By the way: I'm SORRY if you were doing a search engine on these books for a school project or something and this came up because it has the key words!)


	10. You Can Run But You Can't Hide

This chapter was slightly rushed, so it's a little...well I can't really think of a word. But anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and I'll try to come up with more soon.

"Now!"

Takashi ducked as Kouga threw a punch, hitting a rock instead. Takashi stood up and caught his breath, gasping as the rock crumbled.

"You could have broken my face with that punch!"

"It's the only way you'll learn. Come on, I ain't gonna baby you forever. Pretty soon I'm going to start attacking you from out of nowhere. –Now!"

Kouga tried to kick him off of his feet, but Takashi jumped up and landed again.

"Now!"

Kouga ran at him fast, yelling as he prepared to strike. Takashi dodged out of the way, panting as Kouga skidded to a halt in the dirt.

"Why do I have to learn how to fight anyway?" Takashi brushed the dirt off of his clothes.

"Because sooner or later, demons will come after you and try to kill you. If there's one thing most demons hate more than a human, it's a human who's part demon. They'll see you as an abomination and destroy you."

"Can't I just run?"

"No. Running doesn't solve anything. You're part demon, so act like one! Fight and win!"

"I'm more human than demon..." Takashi sighed.

"Look, it's for your own safety. Now go on and get some food."

"But you haven't gone out for any yet."

"That's because you're going to start hunting for your own food."

"WHAT!"

"I'll try to be back home as soon as I can."

Miroku kissed Sango on the cheek as he lifted her onto Kirara, holding her hand for a moment.

"I still don't understand why you can't come back with me..."

"Don't worry. Kohaku will take care of you, and I'm sure I'll be home before the baby comes."

He let go of her hand as Kirara took off, watching her image shrink into the distance. Shippo grabbed his things and trekked off, keeping a slow pace so Miroku could keep up. He walked forward with his staff, and sighed.

"Shippo, Naraku revived the wind tunnel."

Shippo stopped and looked at Miroku, his tail going limp.

"I need to go after Naraku with you. If I don't do everything I can to stop him, I might not be able to keep my promise to Sango."

Shippo's face was solemn as he gave a distinct nod; he continued forward, their surroundings silent but for the footsteps in the leaves.

They walked for a long time, saying nothing, both pondering the situation. Things hadn't been this difficult since Naraku had (at least pretended to have) been dead.

Shippo stopped suddenly, dropping his things and crouching down in a fighting stance. Miroku, noticing his actions, responded by readying his staff, looking around cautiously.

"What is it?"

"We're being followed..."

They both stood silent, listening for any sound. Shippo's ear twitched at the sound of a shift somewhere nearby, turning around and leaping at it.

"Got you-!"

"SHIPPO!"

"WHAT THE-!"

Shippo found himself tackled on the ground, spitting dirt out of his mouth. He looked up and made a small squeaking noise of terror to find a face from his past looking down at him. The face of the demon who murdered his father when he was a pup...

"Hi...Hi...Hi...ten..."

"Oh Shippo, you mean thing! How could you mistake me for my dead brother?"

"Huh!"

Shippo looked his attacker over, then realized one distinctive difference between him- or rather HER...- from Hiten of the Thunder Brothers.

She sat him up and embraced him tight, pressing his face into her chest.

"It's me! Souten!"

Shippo plucked himself from her bosom.

"SOUTEN!"

He struggled to get free, but to no avail as she merely clenched her arms tighter around him.

"I've been searching for days! I caught your scent on the wind several nights ago...it was quite intoxicating."

She gave him a seductive look, stroking his arm. He was beginning to make panicked noises he hadn't made since he was a pup, kicking and flailing to get away.

"Oh you've become even more handsome than the last time I saw you! Just look at you!...Of course, I've matured a bit as well."

She giggled and threw up her chest a bit upwards so that it was pressed against his face again, causing him to make strange gagging and screeching noises. She let go of him, amused as he leapt backwards to get away.

Miroku fell to the ground laughing, finding this sudden reunion to be quite hilarious.

"Souten, uh...why are you-GACK!"

She grabbed him again and wrapped her arms around his neck, stroking his hair as she squeezed tight enough to pop his head off. His eyes began to bug out, and his face began to turn dark blue.

"Since you left me that day I've been waiting for your return. But only recently did I get very tired of waiting, so I decided to track you down and make you mine!"

Shippo had to get out of this...but what to say?

"...Souten...uh...listen...I can't be with you because...because..."

He gasped for air as she let go, her face in a pout.

"Why?"

"...Because I already have a mate!"

No sooner had the words come out of his mouth before he realized he had just put Souten into a mad rage. Her entire body began to spark with electricity, her hair beginning to stand on end from the static.

"WHAT WAS THAT!"

In an instant, Shippo found himself running away at full speed as Souten began angrily flinging lightning bolts at him.

Later that night, Takashi lay in bed, his stomach too loud to let him sleep. He had absolutely NO luck with hunting. He was clumsy, confused, and too gentle to kill when he finally caught a rabbit. It bit him and he dropped it immediately, cursing as it hopped off into the bushes. Now he lay there, trying to sleep, kept awake by his hunger. All he could think about was how Kouga was pushing him too hard, and how this was so unfair. He knew this was only because he was tired and hungry, but he was still mad.

He listened around him, the wolves snoring and the wind blowing outside. He turned around when he heard somebody approach, then looked up to see Kouga.

"Oh, what is it now? Midnight sparring?"

"Come outside," Kouga said monotonously. He turned around and walked off, waiting at the front of the cave. Confused but obedient, Takashi got up and followed.

When he reached Kouga's position, he looked around curiously.

"What is it Kouga?" He looked up at Kouga, slightly vexed by the strange blank appearance of his eyes. He raised his claws to strike, and said "Kagome wouldn't want a weak son like you."

"Hey, that's hitting a bit below the be-...Kouga? What are you..."

Takashi screamed as Kouga actually slashed through his chest, throwing him to the ground as he wheezed in pain.

Kouga walked toward him, reaching for him.

"Kouga, what are you doing? I'm down! That's enough! KOUGA, THAT'S ENOUGH! PLEASE!"

He choked as Kouga grabbed him by his neck, strangling him as his feet kicked in the air.

"Kouga...stop...ple..please..."

Takashi's eyes flashed red for a moment, his struggling beginning to cease. His fangs began to grow, as did his claws. With a vicious growl he suddenly took Kouga's arm and dug his claws in, ripping them through the flesh on his forearm. Kouga let go, but made no scream of pain as his arm bled profusely. With a thud, Takashi fell to the ground, his eyes returning to normal as he coughed and wheezed from Kouga's attack to his trachea.

"Good Kouga, very good. You've done your part."

Naraku held the mirror as it glowed dark blue, watching Takashi as he gasped for air on the ground.

"You're angry, aren't you Takashi? It only gets worse from here. Your soul will turn dark, and the jewel will become tainted. You'll lose touch with your human side, and I will be able to control you."

Naraku snapped his fingers to release his hold on Kouga, then looked up at Kagura.

"Send one of my puppets."

Kouga's eyes returned to normal, and he passed out on the ground. Takashi continued to cough violently, then stood up and ran, tears running down his cheeks and flying off in the wind. He ran almost all night, until he couldn't run anymore and climbed up into a tree. He looked down at his chest, astonished to find that aside from the dried blood on his chest, there was no sign of the wounds.

Takashi couldn't believe what had just happened. Kouga wasn't trying to teach him anything; he had intentionally tried to hurt him- no...he'd tried to kill him- without any mercy at all. He was suddenly very angry. He slammed his fist into the bark of the tree and screamed, not noticing the dark red glow coming from his chest. His eyes also started to glow red again, watering slightly as he tried not to tear. The glow in his chest grew darker, and darker...

But all of a sudden, Takashi was distracted, and the glow vanished as he listened to his surroundings. The words were difficult to make out, but he picked up a few pieces...

"Lo-- I—ya—sh--! Whe--you!"

"What is that?"

He started to feel afraid as he heard the voice come closer and closer...He stood up and jumped out of the tree, grunting as he broke out into a full run. He could now fully make out the sentences, each word clear as a bell.

"Master, are you heeeeere?"

He tried to run faster, convinced that the source of the voice was intentionally moving towards him. His lungs turned dry as he gasped for air and his face was glistening with sweat, and he cried out as he fell towards the earth, tripped by a rogue tree root.

He shook with fear as he listened around him, the voice coming closer...closer...he curled up in a ball, ready to face his end.

He flinched as he heard something land next to him, but sighed with relief when he realized it was just a crow.

"Whooo! What a relief!"

"-You can say that again," Takashi jumped as he heard the voice again. It was practically IN HIS EAR. "I'm glad I caught up with you!"

"Who's there!"

"...Oh come now master, it's me! Myouga!"

"I don't know any Myouga and you better stay the hell away from me!"

"...Wait a minute!"

Takashi felt something latch onto his nose, then gasped as he looked down at it. It was some sort of strange bug, but it was unlike any he'd ever seen. It had hair, and eyes...- and it was TALKING!

"YOU'RE not Master Inuyasha! I don't understand! I could have sworn I detected him!"

The image of the talking flea on his nose turned black, and with a sigh and a fall, Takashi fainted.


	11. Memories of Lost Love

Okay, while Myouga explains things to Takashi, I'm gonna backtrack a bit and do some flashback fun, to when all of this happened. Come oooon, you know you want toooooo! (Note: The flashback will not be from Myouga's POV, if that's what you thought. It may exceed one chapter. And I have to say first that there won't be any l-e-m-o-n in here, though it may seem like it's leading up to one.)

"Kagome?"

Souta stared through the open crack of the door at his sister. She was sulking again. He sighed and opened the door to walk towards her. He placed his hand firmly on her left shoulder, resulting with a glance in his direction. He frowned as she leaned towards him and buried her head against his chest, quietly sobbing.

"The worst part is I'm even more worried about him because of what happened that night. Something was wrong with him, I know it...His eyes haven't done that since..."

"Kagome, I can't tell you he's alright; but I can tell you I have faith in his ability to protect himself. Sure, he may not have known, but Inuyasha was his dad, after all. And I think it does show in some ways."

She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, smiling a bit.

"He certainly got his persistence. And his protectiveness..."

"And wherever he is, all we can do is hope he's okay...-It's better than worrying if he's not."

She nodded and sighed, and pulled the book on her desk into her lap, opening it.

"I was looking at this before...How many secrets did I keep from him?"

"-Hey, parents have the right - if not the responsibility, to keep things from their children until they're ready."

Kagome began to ponder how different things were all those years ago. When Naraku was defeated, and Inuyasha confessed his feelings...-shortly afterwards, giving her a little "present"...

"Kagoooomeeeee, how much longeeeerrrrr!"

"Not long Shippo, the food's almost done."

She giggled as Shippo's tummy got the last word in.

"What are you going to do when you start your training?"

He pouted, only causing her to laugh again.

What would things be like, now that Naraku was gone? She wondered. Miroku and Sango will probably start a family like she'd promised, and Shippo has plans to train under an old friend of his late father's. She should return to school, and resume her studies. And Inuyasha would...

Kagome stopped stirring the stew for a moment. He wouldn't...ask her for the jewel, would he?

"...Kagome?"

She snapped out of it and looked down at Shippo.

"Sorry, Shippo - oh, look, it's ready."

Before the end of the last word, he already had a bowl in his hands.

Inuyasha hadn't joined them for dinner. Normally she wouldn't worry, but with everything that had happened, she kind of wanted to talk to him. After she had cleaned up, she walked into the forest – with her bow and arrows, just in case – and headed for the Sacred Tree.

Sure enough, he was sitting in its branches, staring pensively at the dimming light on the west horizon. He looked strange; from where she could see him, he seemed like he was depressed, hopeful, anxious and enlightened all at once. She heard him sniff, and his head whipped around to look at her. He seemed startled - no, apparently WAS startled, and lost his balance on the branch. Luckily, he regained enough sense to land on is feet. He still appeared shaken, though maybe not from the fall.

"Uh...hi, Inuyasha."

"H...Hi."

This was odd; Inuyasha was acting really weird. Maybe it was some kind of post traumatic issue from defeating Naraku?

"I wanted to talk with you for a while."

He caught his breath and calmed down, uttering a "fine" and leaned against the tree, though still tense. She stood next to him; but realizing how his tension rose further, she scooted away a few inches – only to scoot back when his face said he wanted otherwise.

"So...what were you doing out here?"

He hesitated, looking down at his hand.

"It's none of your business, but...I was just...thinking."

His "none of your business" was half-hearted; he was trying to act like he normally would, but for some reason, couldn't. She smiled and leaned over, trying to look directly at his face.

"What about?"

"What I'm gonna do now."

She frowned, grabbing his hand. His ears went down bashfully.

"...Are you okay?"

He perked up again, smiling at her sincerely.

"Yeah; I'm fine. I just needed to decide what I wanted to do - and if I was ready to..."

She clutched at the jewel with her spare hand.

"...I see. -So, are you?"

He nodded, and began breathing through his mouth.

"I need to talk to you."

She felt a twinge of pain in her chest, feeling like this was a goodbye.

"This is hard to say.-...I cared a lot about Kikyo; she was the only one who seemed to feel any compassion towards me. But even when we decided to be together, she wanted me to become human with the jewel."

They faced each other, and Kagome intently watched his expressions as he spoke to her.

"I realized something important. It's true that Kikyo and I cared for each other. But I think the only reason was because we could relate to each other, and we didn't want to be alone. But two people who really...-love each other should be willing to bear each other's burdens together. After all, that's what my parents did. I would have willingly become human for her - but why did she want that? I think I was so desperate for someone else that I didn't see how she didn't accept what I was."

...What did this have to do with the jewel?

"-...But you accept me."

She blushed as he squeezed her hand.

"You are...more compassionate to me than Kikyo ever was. You don't care if I'm human, or demon, or something in between. You help me when I need it; you trust me; you...make me feel...better...

"You make me feel more than I ever did for Kikyo."

Her body made a barely noticeable jerk. He couldn't be saying...-?

"I...that is..."

He looked away and started to grind his teeth, growling in frustration.

"Dammit...-! Why can't I say it?"

"...Inuyasha?"

He looked back at her, his expression softening. He swallowed and took a deep breath, let go of her hand, and instead took hold of her arms. Deeply shocked, but still intent, she looked directly at him and noticed the deep red hue in his cheeks. His expression was suddenly determined and passionate, and as if he was afraid to wait another second, he began to force himself to say what he wanted to say.

"I want to be with you, Kagome. - I love you."

"-I love you too," she practically blurted out. She felt exhilarated by his confession and more so at the wide smile that hit his face, accented by his fangs.

Before she even realized, he pulled at her arms so her lips collided with his. She could feel his racing heartbeat pounding against her chest. His kiss was very simple, but in an attempt to emphasize his desire he began leaving a trail and stopped at her neck, breathing in her scent and nipping slightly. She put her arms around him and pulled him closer, realizing how labored his breath was.

"I know...that this is...-is a little..."rushed", but...will you..."

He looked up from his kissing to ask her sincerely. His chest heaved as he struggled to make his request.

"Will...you...-...Will you mate with me?"

She rolled the words around in her head. Sex was something different to him; it was obvious from the fact that he used the term "mating".

"You don't have to accept...I, I'm happy just kissing for now if that's what you want. I just wanted to...ask...-It's how demons marry each other, so I..."

He stared down at his feet, obviously regretting ever mentioning it. She smiled at his shyness, then kissed his forehead and reached into his haori to touch his chest. He looked up in surprised delight.

"Does that mean...-?"

"Yes."

He playfully smirked as he pulled her against him and fell backwards to the ground. He rolled over and resumed kissing her neck, running one hand through her hair while the other pet her shoulder

"I love you," he whispered.

The next morning, Kagome woke up to the feeling of Inuyasha's palm pressed against her abdomen. He began to stroke it gently, pulling her close and kissing her cheek. She rolled onto her other side to face him, kissing him on the nose and making him grin.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright; how are you?"

He just smiled wider and pulled her up against him.

"I probably should have told you this before...but - well, I'll tell you later. Let's just enjoy this peace and quiet for a bit."

She nodded and closed her eyes again, drifting back into slumber, safe and secure in her lover's arms.

"No, stay with me - I love you! KAGOME!"

- Kagome woke with a start and looked around for Inuyasha, surprised to find herself inside the well. She was still naked, her clothes beside her. She thought she heard...and why was she here?

She grabbed her clothes and climbed to the top of the well regardless of nudity and leapt back in, but landed firmly on the ground. She looked up to see that she was still in the well house. What was going on?

What if the jewel was still on the other side?

She focused on where she sensed the jewel, still in her pocket. She pulled it out, but to her horror...

The jewel was now grey and brittle, and as she lifted it up, it fell into dust in her palm. She screamed and tears flooded out of her eyes, and she curled up and sobbed.

Souta had found her there, still naked and weeping, two hours later. Her mother leapt down with a blanket and wrapped it around her, holding her as she incoherently sobbed about her lost love.

HOLY CRAP I just checked my reviews! I got some crazy (in a good way) fans!


	12. Kagome's Blessing

(This is still set 15-16 years earlier, FYI.)

Kagome sighed, sitting on top of the toilet and waiting for the big answer. It was quiet, which made this moment all the more intense for her. Her whole family was out, so she didn't have to worry about them until later, but she still didn't know how she would tell them.

One time – one time she had been with Inuyasha, and she might actually be pregnant.

Over the last month, Kagome had spent her days in her room, mourning over Inuyasha. But as time went on, she realized she was doing more than just crying. She was getting sick, and then she was late...-Almost everything about it pointed to Kagome being pregnant with Inuyasha's child.

There was no doubt in her mind that she would keep the baby if she was, no matter what anyone else thought. She kind of wanted to be, but for any girl her age it was still frightening. Would her family be okay with it? Would she be able to raise it? Would she actually be a good mother?

Enough time had gone by for the test to work...her heart pounded as she reached for it, staring at the mark. Blinking, she grabbed the box and looked at the directions again, then back at the test.

She was going to have a baby! She touched her abdomen distractedly and smiled wide. More questions filled her mind, but they were far more positive: "What should I name it?" "Is it a boy or a girl?" "Will it look like Inuyasha or me?"

She looked up as she heard the front door open.

"...How will I tell them?"

Kagome took a deep breath and decided to get it done with, stepping out of the bathroom and up to her family, who were chatting as they brought in groceries.

"Everyone, we need to talk."

Souta, her mother and her grandpa all went silent, nodded and quickly putting away the groceries before sitting down at the table. Her grandfather sipped at some tea as she spoke.

"Ah...I told you how Inuyasha and I...told each other how we felt..."

They nodded, looking at her and listening intently. She clenched her fists, her lips parted slightly as she breathed slowly.

"Well, we kind of...physically expressed it..."

Her grandfather gagged a little on his tea, his eye twitching; and her mother sighed and nodded.

"I suspected as much. – And I'm alright with that, sweetheart. I'm just sorry that...this happened to you. Are you alright now? You've been so sad."

Kagome smiled.

"I have some news. –First, let me make it clear that I'm going through with it."

"...-With what, Sis?"

"Everyone," she paused and took a deep breath.

"I'm...I'm going to have a baby."

Her grandfather made a spit-take of his tea, staring in surprise. But to her own surprise, Souta and her mother, absolutely delighted, got up and hugged her, smiling and laughing.

"I'm going to be a grandmother!"

"-Is it going to look like Inuyasha?"

"-Oh, I hope it has those adorable ears of his!"

Kagome hadn't even thought about how cute the child would be if it had looked like its father. But she was pulled out of her daydream as her grandfather began sobbing.

"Gr...grandpa? Are you...Oh, don't cry, Grandpa...I'm sorry...!"

"No, no...I'm happy for you, Kagome...it's just..."

"What?"

"If your mother is Grandma, then I'M going to be Great-Grandpa! I feel so old!"

"Kagome, are you still positive that you want to do this here-"

"YES! Okay? I don't know if this baby is going to look like its daddy or not, and if it does, I don't want it to become a science experiment..."

Kagome screamed, another contraction seizing her. When it stopped, she gasped for air, then looked at her mother.

"Besides...this baby isn't going to wait..."

"But we could at least move you up to your room-"

"I can't get up! And I think this spot is perfect."

Kagome looked up into the branches of the sacred tree. It really was the perfect place – nearly all her most important moments with Inuyasha had been right under that tree.

"Okay, I'm gonna look."

Kagome sighed as her mother took another look at her...private area. She grinded her teeth and whimpered as yet another contraction quickly arrived. Her mother looked up, then yelled over to her grandfather and little brother, who were bringing out towels.

"This is it!"

They gasped and raced over, setting the towels next to Kagome and crouching beside her.

"Ready?"

Kagome nodded. She tried to ignore the pain as the child steadily inched its way out of her. She couldn't even hear what her mother was saying. She was just pushing, and pushing...

"Ahhh, the ears!"

"Souta, what did I tell you about looking?!"

"But..."

"-I hate to interrupt but here it comes!"

Kagome's mother stuttered and reached down, grabbing the child and gently pulling it the rest of the way out. It immediately began to whimper, wriggling in her hands. Kagome stared in awe, smiling brightly.

"A boy..."

"Here he is!" Her mother squealed. Souta grabbed a towel and handed it to his mother, who set it down and placed the child on it. After cutting the cord and wiping off some of the blood, she wrapped it up and handed it to Kagome.

"Oh wow...he...looks so...he looks so much like him..."

Kagome stroked her son's head, soothing the whining child. His hair, though still messy from birth, was a brilliant white. His tiny ears twitched, and she rubbed one with her fingers. He instantly opened his eyes, looking up at his mother's hand. His golden eyes twinkled in the light. He looked directly at his mother, his nose wiggling.

"Hi...-Hi baby...I'm your mom..."

She stroked his cheek with her finger, but to her surprise he bit it. He began suckling -she could feel tiny fangs growing in. She winced as he grazed the skin, and sighed.

"Well, there's no denying who the father is!" Kagome's grandfather laughed.

"-He's beautiful, Kagome."

The newborn suddenly started making more audible noises.

"Ah...I think...he wants to be fed..."

Kagome looked at the cut on her finger.

"Oh dear...fangs and nursing...not a good combination."

"What's his name?"

Kagome smiled.

"Takashi."

Kagome darted upright in her bed as her child cried from the corner. He only cried when he was upset or in pain – if he wanted something, he just made incoherent noises.

"Takashi? Sweetheart, are you alri-!?"

Kagome stared down at her son, who for the first time since he had been born, looked completely human. His eyes and hair had turned dark, and his nails and teeth had dulled.

"Fourteen months, and you never looked human...why are you starting now?"

Takashi looked up at her, tears welling in his big brown eyes. He apparently did not like this unfamiliar feeling. Then she realized as he struggled to get up and fell on his back - Being part demon, Takashi could do some things other children his age couldn't – but now that he was human, he couldn't stand up.

"Oh...-there, there..."

She picked up her sobbing child, resting him against her bosom. His tiny body shook as he continued to sob.

"It's okay...it's only for a little while...then you'll be just like your old self again...your daddy used to be like this, too...he hated it too..."

"...I thought he'd become part demon again, just like Inuyasha did every month...but he just stayed that way...but the other night..."

"He's done that before, though! Remember when he was younger, and every now and then he'd get a little vicious?"

"But he was always upset when that happened! He was just sitting there, about to eat one of his favorite meals! And he never collapsed like he did...something was wrong...and now he's missing!"

Kagome sobbed, leaning against her brother's shoulder as he comforted her.

"It's okay, Kagome...remember, he is Inuyasha's kid..."

"I just wish he were here..."

"Yeah, he could track Takashi down..."

"Even if he couldn't...I just wish I could have him near me..."

"...Well, just remember that Takashi is fifteen and part-demon; he should be fine out on his-"

"Fifteen...?"

Kagome lifted her head from her brother's shoulder.

"His...fifteenth birthday..."

"It's so strange...this boy...his facial features are nearly identical! But how..."

Myouga stood on Takashi's chest, pacing.

"How could this boy look so much like Master Inuyasha? The only reason I know it isn't him is because his hair and ears are slightly different!.."

He looked up at the boy, out cold after fainting.

"-Oh well...I suppose I'll wake him up and ask him if he knows anything..."

Myouga rubbed his hands together and hopped toward an exposed spot on his chest, suckling at the blood. His eyes widened, and he began sucking as hard as he could, making noises of delight.

Smack. Weeeoo weeeoo weeeoo!

"Ugh..."

Takashi rubbed his eyes, staring up at the canopy of trees above him.

"What happened? That sure was a weird dream..."

"...That...delightful, succulent blood!"

"-Wha? Who's there?"

Takashi gasped as the same creature latched onto his nose again.

"It wasn't a dream! Ack!"

"I'd know that taste anywhere! And-...what's this...? Oh! Oh how wonderful! I don't believe it!"

The flea began to cry tears of joy.

"Master Inuyasha...and Kagome!"

Takashi's body made a jolt as he heard both his parents' names. How did he know-

The flea bowed and smiled.

"Sir, I am Myouga, humble retainer of Master Inuyasha."

"You know my dad?!"

"So...so I was right!!! How could Lord Inuyasha not have sent word to me?! But then..."

The flea began to cry again, sitting on Takashi's nose with a kerchief.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that Master Inuyasha would realize and admit his feelings for Kagome...yet here I find they've mated and had a child! I've never been so happy! –How are your parents, lately? Would you take me to them?"

"Uh...I'm kind of lost, and I've never even met my dad."

"WHAT?! –Oh no! Master Inuyasha, how could you lure poor Kagome to bed with you, completely aware of the obligations of mating, and ABANDON her with your child?!"

"Uh..."

Takashi sat and stared as the little flea continued to weep, not sure what to do...

This is supposed to be that noise Myouga makes when he's squashed and falling to the ground.

Just to mention, "inuyasharbd15fan09"...

As mentioned in a previous chapter, Fluffy will make an appearance. (Fluffy runs by as the fangirls chase him, several hanging for dear life on his furry boa) As for your happy ending, you have to read to find out what fate I've chosen for them! And to everyone, I know I suck for lack of updates...it's just each chapter has to be just so, you know?

Now, to explain ahead of time, THIS is what happened with Takashi's Baby Demon-ness.

The binding spell did not take effect as soon as Takashi was born. The spell itself is tied to the jewel, which was not strong enough to bind his blood until it had developed in his body to a certain extent. If Naraku had placed the spell to occur immediately, the demon blood would have never been inherited, and Naraku does not want this. But once the jewel is completely recreated, the spell begins to wane.

Okay, thassit! See you next time! 


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